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Tea-infused gin, tonic water, and fresh orange juice make this Earl Grey cocktail extra special. You'll want to invite the Tipsy Earl to your next party for SURE!

close-up of the Earl Gray Gin and Tonic on a marble table with ingredients on the tabletop

Y'all, I am obsessed with Earl Grey tea right now. This citrusy, flowery-tasting black tea really shines in this gin-spiked Earl Grey cocktail!

Jump To:

What is Earl Grey tea?
Making the Earl Grey gin
Making the cocktail
Earl Grey cocktail recipe

What is Earl Grey tea?

I feel like Earl Grey tea doesn't get enough fanfare. But it just has such a lovely, floral, citrusy flavor!

Earl Grey is black tea flavored with bergamot. If you're not familiar with bergamot, it's just a variety of orange. It's what gives Earl Grey its distinct, almost perfumey flavor.

Like other black teas, Earl Grey is naturally caffeinated. It contains 55 to 90 mg of caffeine per cup, depending on how strong you make it. That's comparable to around half a cup of coffee, depending on what kind of coffee you're making.

The tea is named for English Prime Minister Earl Charles Grey. Along with creating this tea, he did a little thing called abolishing slavery in England in 1833.

Pretty cool guy!

Making the Earl Grey gin

Earl Grey gin is the key to this drink. It's very easy to make, but it does take some planning, because it has to steep.

To make the gin, just combine gin, a bag of tea, and a touch of sugar in a mason jar. Give it a shake, and let it steep for four to six hours.

I know, that's a long time, but it's so worth it! You can double or triple this recipe, if you want to keep this gin on hand. Store the steeped gin in the fridge or freezer.

Also! Since you're going to shake the jar with the tea bag in it, and not all tea bags are the same, there's a chance that bag will break. Don't worry if that happens! Leave the gin to steep, then just pour it through a mesh strainer to get the tea leaves out before mixing up your drinks.

Making the cocktail

Once you finish steeping, mixing up the Earl Grey cocktail couldn't be simpler. No shaking, no straining, just pour, garnish, and sip.

Just combine a splash of the gin in a rocks glass with some tonic water. Squeeze in a little bit of orange juice, and serve on the rocks.

If you want to get fancy, garnish with an orange slice.

close-up of a glass of Earl Gray gin and tonic with a blue straw and an orange wedge garnish

Earl Grey cocktail recipe

Tea-infused gin, tonic water, and fresh orange juice make this Earl Grey cocktail extra special. You'll want to invite the Tipsy Earl to your next party for SURE!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Vegan

Keyword: earl grey cocktail, earl grey gin and tonic, tea cocktail

Servings:

Calories: 90kcal

Author: Becky Striepe

Ingredients

For the Earl Grey Gin

▢ ½ cup good gin
▢ 1 bag Earl Grey tea
▢ 1 tablespoon sugar

For the Tipsy Earl

▢ 1 ½ ounces Earl Grey Gin
▢ ¼ of a Naval Orange - plus an extra little wedge, for garnish
▢ tonic water

Instructions

Make the Earl Grey gin

▢
Pour the gin into a small mason jar and place the bag in there. Add the sugar, close the lid, and give the jar a good shake to combine. Let it steep for 4-6 hours, then pull out the bag. If your bag broke like mine did from overly-enthusiastic shaking, just strain the infused gin before you use it.

Make the cocktail

▢
In a rocks glass full of ice, combine the gin and the juice from ¼ of your orange. Drop the orange rind in your glass, then top off with the tonic water. Garnish with another little orange wedge, and sip!

Notes

Store any leftover Earl Grey gin in the fridge or freezer. It will keep for months.

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